What did you do on your layout today?

ATTABOY! 

 

Way to scrounge! 

 

Mitch

While sitting around waiting for paint to dry, on the '37 Hallmark Ford pickup, and on

the gas electric's stubborn buffer panel (can't seem to get that right), I started another

kit, a Built-Rite (Brandon, Mo.) model of a wooden water tank (not for locos, although

an added spout and linkage could change that, for a rustic short line or logging road).  I had planned one for my town of Arsenic Springs, that required drinking water piped down from the mountains, as the town's spring was not, obviously, potable.  I will scratch-build a pipe up on a trestle to supply it.  The loco tank is supplied from the

spring, so I am wondering what would be the long term effect of arsenic water in

their boilers, and vented off in the steam?  (good thing no EPA in 1940!)

I enjoy reading this thread and appreciate the work all of you post. 

I have roughed in a sky background, and cut 1/2" plywood sub-roadbed for the mainline curves.  I feel like I need to get a feel for how the mainline grade will fall against the backdrop, so I clamped some 1" boards to approximate the grade.  Next, I'll get to work placing background hills and valleys on the backdrop, then firm up the 53' of 1.1% grade.

 

Ran trains for about 15 minutes this afternoon.  Thats about it.

Unlike the Oneida gas electric, assembly of the water tank, with kit bashes, is going

rapidly.  I added a couple of feet to the top of the tank and covered it with a board

cover (since it holds drinking water, and bird droppings are undesired).  The ladder

assembles rung by rung, but that even went fast.  I have not begun the trestle that

will carry the pipe down from the mountains, but that will come next, if I can't get

the paint right on the gas electric.  The Hallmark '37 Ford is repainted and awaits reassembly, too. 

I finally finished the turnout relay panel...

 

and got it hung in its proper position.

 

Then I populated it with relays. Now I have to build the temporary control panels and wire them and the Tortoises to this unit. Then the fun can really begin.

 

The last couple days, I filled all the seams and screw holes on the new fascia. Today I got all of it sanded. Ready for paint.

 

Tonight I had an some time to complete a connection of track to a powered siding and  screw it down in place.  Now the entire siding ( long one ) is powered and I can once again park an entire train on it.  I also ran a wiring connection to the Patsburg commuter platform so the night commuters can see there way off the trains ( now that its getting dark earlier )   

 

Today the mailman delivered two Weaver cars I bought off the Bay.  I ran them on the layout tonight and they look great!  The first was a B&O RPO car and the second was a bulkhead flat car with a pipe load.  Very nice cars!  Well done by Weaver!!!  Too bad Weaver is now a fallen flag.  This Friday I should receive a Weaver bulkhead flat car with a lumber load.  i'm looking forward to that delivery!

Today I got many decals on the Oneida car, and that is looking good.  Those are drying

before I finish the rest of them.  I tried a big box store dull clear on my Hallmark '37

Ford pickup, the black fenders, and I do not have the luck Lee does repainting these,

for I got a crackle finish I had to strip and repaint.  Did a test of another brand of

dull clear which seems to work.  We shall see.  While waiting on drying, I have almost

finished, including painting, the town drinking water tower for Arsenic Springs.  I am wrapping the tower with its prepainted bands, and have begun the trestle for the pipe that supplies it, which is a scratch-build.

Elliot; you've been busy.

All I did today after yard work was run trains this afternoon.........Paul

Nice job Elliot 

I setup a n scale layout of sorts. old mdf board from garage and setup the Bachmann track and ran a rather long train for about 10 minutes can't see to put trucks on the track and no smoke no sound 10 minutes I was bored. back to the other trains. now

 

I modeled in HO when I was in school, then went to N after we were married because of little space.  A few years after getting glasses when I was 39, I went to HO because N was too small.  By my mid 50s, HO was too small to see well, so I moved to O gauge A few years ago.  I hope this trend does not continue, or someday I'll be trying to fit a 1:1 scale engine in my basement.  ;-)

I found out that the new neighbor into trains is a louse.

 I had sold a train to him and he has not lived up to his end of the agreement.

He almost immediately re-sold the engine I had sold him cheap, because "he wanted a C&O shelf queen in O". Then he figured out he could triple his money

 The agreement was, he would offer sell it back to me at cost first.

   I should have known when he tried to sell me things at a high cost, after I had just given him all of my nice old HO cars.

  Well, he handed me a few sets of O trucks,like he was giving them to me, but before he left implied I owe him something worth $20.

  Doing this bothers me deeply, but I don't think I'm going to remember that "favor"

His "ill gained" profit was 5x that.

Luckily,(maybe for him) he "has switched back to HO due to O being worth too much".

 Anyhow I was standing there thinking negative thoughts, and decided to use the cheap trucks right away, to save a $2 6045, grey lionel lines tank car/ frame that I was using as a stationary tank. I was standing back and looking at it on its new wheels, when I saw him in a neighbors back yard, 6:30am today.

He spent about a minute between the houses out of sight. He may have moved the garbage cans from off the street for them, but this also strikes me as odd for that early, and I know they aren't gone long. Usually only at that hour, for about an hour, to eat.  I'll have to say something, and ask if they lock that back door.

 

I cant believe I really want someone out of O gauge

 

The car is ok, but I think I need to decorate it and give it away.

Too much bad karma in it, from all this, for me to enjoy it

 

 

 

Thanks Pat.

 

Spence, yes I have. I'm working on a new streak of consecutive days. Time to "make the donuts".

 "It" being about "the toy", then "the train", foremost with me, I always found it curious folk went small scale for the "extra room" when they are often larger in curves.

 I guess HO allows for a fuller scenery.

 

And you can pop N into your mouth .

Or is that a disadvantage now that we are all going blind?

 

...Nearsightedness, a stigmatism setting in, and early signs of cataracts, all means I'm out of the "tiny" game.

I like bigger gauges than O better than little anyhow

 

A 700e, & a 1:1 in the basement!

Isn't that a "normal" "lotto dream" at least?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adriatic - nice neighbor, get him on the forum.  Haven't done much on my layout but discovered a stretch of track that needs tacked down. Trying to run my outdoor train as much as possible because this nice weather won't last much longer. When the leaves fall I will have a foot or more leaves on the track.

Finished repainting the Hallmark '37 Ford to a weathered red with black fenders....and

finished decaling and installing the horn that comes through the windshield on the

gas electric.  Tested some big box store clear flat to make sure I would not get the

truck's paint problems on the gas electric.   Built and have painted the trestle that

will carry drinkable water down from the hills.   Have the tank painted and the pipe

painted rust.  Need to weather the tank and trestle before putting it all together.  That

is one structure that got built while I was fooling with problems on the other two

projects.  I think I need to decal the tank with town name.

Tell me about it. I can't focus on things that are too close without "cheaters". Then I have to wear them on my forehead if I want to see anything beyond 18".

 

As my father used to say, "It's no fun getting old, but it beats the alternative."

I started with bifocals 20 years ago.  Then progressive lenses.  I didn't like them.  Now I'm on my third pair of trifocals, but I  reading with the middle section, looking at things up to 5 feet away with the top section, and looking over the top for everything else.  I have them slid down my nose like the nutty professor.  They are getting worse, but I still have almost a year before insurance will pay again.  Elliot, it is an adventure!

I finished a whole box of fudgecicles throughout the today 

 Tiny ones the whole box was only 13oz.

I also had some large bottle rocket sticks from the July 4th yard clean up.

The hot glue gun and paint came out, and I made 20 scale foot of weathered fence for the house on the layout.

The possible psychological aspects of my choosing privacy fence height, just hit me

 

   

Yeah Mark, I've tried the bi and trifocals, but most of the time around the house, I don't wear any glasses. I have single visions that I use for sporting events and driving. My last license renewal, earlier this year, I failed the vision test without them, for the first time. I wore those cheaters for hours building that relay panel.

 

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Today's "donuts" came in two "flavors".

 

I got a bunch of roadbed carved. I only do the profile between the mains. Yard tracks will just stay flat.

 

I also did a bunch of painting. I came so close to finishing off my 12 year old can of flat black. When things get a little further along, I'll put on the final coat of semi-gloss black.

 

My pretest of paint did not work....I had a paint problem on the gas electric and will

have to redo  some of it....that is started.  By blind, stinkin' luck, none of the defects

were in the lettering areas, although I may have to redo some rivet decals.  The

trestle and pipe flume for the Arsenic Springs town drinking water are almost done.

Tank was lettered with press on lettering, since I had no lettering decals, although

I have a lot of O scale decals.  I do NOT like press-ons, but got lucky with their application. I need to find some letter decals.  The bands are wrapped around the tank,

and I just need to add the outlet pipe and valve wheels and final dull cote.

Ever since there was  a recent post here on the forum about Tucker automobiles, I've been thinking about bringing a Tucker dealership back to Patsburg.  There was a Tucker dealership in Patsburg up until about a year ago when urban renewal replaced it with two small apartment buildings built by MTH Construction Company who  btw used all Chinese laborers and journeymen. 

 

I searched for my stored 1:43 scale Tuckers and found 6 of 8.   I removed the base of the MTH dealership and fixed a yellow Tucker on the floor of the showroom with Sinbad glue then added a salesman talking to a potential buyer ... both standing in the showroom in front of the Tucker.  On the roof of the dealership I have a red Tucker still fixed to its black model stand ( slightly angled to the front side of the dealership ) which reads '1948 Tucker Torpedo'

 

 Outside in the new car lot there are 4 Tuckers, 2 blue one red and one green, at least thats the way I see them because I'm color blind  I've placed Patsburgians ( little folks who populate Patsburg ) outside the dealership ... some looking through the picture window to view the yellow showroom Tucker ... others milling around the car lot inspecting these fine automobiles.  Preston Tucker's dream lives on in Patsburg!!!!

His cars are way cool!!!!

 

Next step is to make some of those triangular pennants that are seen in car lots dangling from a guide wire.  Then to connect the building to my bus wire so the interior lights up.

Then to add a lighting in the new car lot.  I'll get pics up on the Forum when completed.  Stand by!

I am little by little doing some scenic work, the first step, so to speak. Adding track ballast and ground cover and gradually moving around the lower level of the layout. I've removed many of the temporary trees and then will put them back after the ground cover is done.
I have been enjoying all the posts of the work on everyone's layouts and am always inspired by them!

John

Patrick,

Your Tucker dealership really sounds neat!

Sounds like your dealership got all the Tuckers ever made. My grandfather always talked about buying one but, thankfully, never did. He liked to buy new things like one of the first TVs and an automatic washing machine.

isn't there something like 48 of the 50 tuckers still driving I know the movie tucker had them all in it.

 

Pat:

 

The Woodland Scenics Just-Plug LED system is perfect for your lighting application. The stick-on LEDS can be attached to the ceiling to light the showroom. Also, for lighting the lot, Woodland Scenics has just announced in their most recent dealer newsletter that, not to far in the future, they will have outdoor post lighting and wall mounted lights as a new product offering. These will be great to light the car lot. Here is a web page link http://www.harrisontrains.com/justplug.htm

Elliot you make it look easy. Must be one heck of a large can of black paint. You are getting close.

Bill, that was only a gallon can. The amazing part was that it was still good after 12 years. There may be something about black paint that makes it more stable than mixed colors. I bought a second gallon recently, which should get me the rest of the way through on that front.

 

I'm not sure what I'm getting close to, there's so much left to do. I just keep chipping away from two dozen different directions, in the hopes that one day it will all come together.

 

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I was lazy today, and took a nap this afternoon. However, the night is still young. gotta keep the streak alive!

My parents house was built in 1952 and last year I was cleaning out the basement and found a gallon of the original interior paint.  I opened it up to put some of the stuff that solidifies old paint.  The paint was still good.  Not sure about the lead content.  I turned it into the County Household hazardous waste program.

 

TUCKERS are selling like crazy in Patburg!!!Here are some photos of the TUCKER dealership I created for Patburg last night.  

PHOTO ONE - Tuckers selling through the roof!

PHOTO TWO - Mr. Preston Tucker with his outstanding automobiles.

PHOTO THREE - Tucker in showroom

PHOTO FOUR - Checking out the Tuckers. Wow!! I think I'll buy one!

PHOTO FIVE - A dozen Tuckers.

Well, it LOOKS like the Oneida gas electric repaint is going to work, but while waiting

for that to dry, I finished the drinking water wooden water tank for Arsenic Springs.

While waiting for that paint to dry, I rummaged through some unbuilt kits and found yet another wooden water tank, of a different style that I began to build to provide locomotive water from the Springs.  I wonder if there is a skull and crossbones decal out there I can put on this tank?  I got quite a bit done on it tonight.  It is going

fast like the first one.

Well automobiles seem to be the theme.

Choose your poison I mean mood music

  UK,

 

 US

Ok ready

 

 Mine is an MTH inspection vehicle.

A vintage air cooled VW type 1.

 A "Beetle" some, "the Bug" to most.

  A happy little critter for sure. But it couldn't see very well in the dark, No wonder with those rivets, they called headlights, firmly in place.

 I had painted them with glow in the dark paint. But the candlepower was still less than impressive, verging on not being noticeable at all. And it glowed green

 

It needed lights, and I've known it for some time.

I had bought a couple more grain of wheat bulbs for lighting near a bridge, and tied them together, to keep them from being lost, setting them on the layout.

Later, running the bug, I stopped it near the bulb pair where they lined up nicely with the front end, reminding me I wanted headlights. So the bridge waits again.

 

I added diodes to keep the voltage down on the 12v lights when on the KW or Z.

 

 The MTH dc motor has a bridge rectifier. I assumed it can handle the extra 200+ma involved here, but I didn't bother checking. Got a coin to toss

I think the weak point on this is actually going to be the contact wipers.

One looks mildly cooked as is, so I also need a sheet of copper soon.

 This isn't the only thing I own in need of better axle contact either. 

 The picture doesn't show the solder stack well, 'but it's firmly soldered to a stiff rectifier leg (+) and rises well over the axle. Kind of like this

 

 

Disassembled by removing two screws.

 The rivet lights are drilled out, and the headlight trim is painted on.

 

Not a whole lot of room here.

Cooked wiper, above, lower right.

 

The windshield was loose (again). This time it got testors cement, CA, and epoxy

 

 Taillights will be for next time LED

 

Super glue was used to position each lamp, one at a time

 

 

Then the legs got insulation, solder, lead wires, and epoxy .

 

The front wheels barely clear the inside edges of the lamp glass.

I'm talking 1/32"- 1/64". Boy oh boy, it was close.

The grey insulation almost had to go too.   

 The white is a rub board since I wasn't going to protect the connections. It is all epoxied in place.

 Later I painted the rear of the fenders & lamp area in black, to stop light bleed to the wheel wells.

 

Making sure the bulbs didn't stick out of the whole like torpedoes, or sit too deep and look like ???? crap??? was difficult. 

 

 I've had a vintage beetle more than half my days being alive. So the headlights being at least close to correct is important because I know was it should look like.

  These are better than the rivet/lights because the wider trim is there now. But the shape of the rivet was better than the bulbs are.

The spherical curve of the bulb is really too small here.

 

(Anyone ever use Testors canopy making cement on bulbs?

I want to know if it can take heat OK.)  

 

 

The best part about this car, is still going to be slugging guys in the arm on the first lap

Adriatic,

Excellent job on the CSX Bug!!  Thanks for all the how to photos and description!

If you think you've seen this before, I can assure you that you are not experiencing deja vu.

 

This is the other panel, the one that I started first. I stopped working on it when I realized how much easier it was to sit at the table, and not on the floor.

 

I should have this done in the next few days. Then I get to connect all the Tortoises to it.

Gee Elliot,you use almost as many relays as I do. Seems like 120 of them with 2 panels. Those cube relays are real power hogs compared to the ones I use.

 

Dale H

I did something we all need to do I stepped back and just ran trains with all the work we do on our layouts sometimes we need to step back and watch the trains run isn't this the ultimate goal and sometimes we need step back and enjoy what we have accomplished 

This might not be all I do today, but I needed a break.  I finally got the paint problem

solved, by redoing patches, on the LaBelle Oneida gas electic body.  I next will install

the window "glass" and assemble roof, body, and chassis, IF nothing else goes wrong.

I finished the drinking water tank and its flume, and have made good progress on the

water tank for locos.  I think I will use a standpipe for it, with lots of signs, "!Peligro!,

Poison!,  !No Tome!, Do not drink!".  Paint is drying on various components of that

tank.  There are tank towns, and there is Arsenic Springs, which is a two tank town.